Introduction

If you’ve never contemplated renting a holiday property direct from the owner before, let alone abroad or from a foreign holiday house owner, it can at first seem rather daunting and somewhat risky. However, if you are reading this, you are probably at least tempted by some of the lovely properties and holiday opportunities out there for those who decide to have an independent holiday. Here at Colours of Spain we have set up an easy system for you to get in touch with a lot of Spanish owners of lovely properties with the backing of a British company, but without the overheads and restrictions of the typical package holiday.

 Spain is a hugely diverse country and its Spanish-owned holiday accommodation is just the same. The last decade has seen a great deal of new privately owned Spanish holiday accommodation come onto the market all across the regions on the coasts, in the mountains, close to historical areas near historic towns and cities... Holiday accommodation ranges from cottages in the countryside, a house in a traditional village, rooms in a castle, a restored watermill, traditional country inns, even your own Andalusian finca – the list is endless. However, until recently it was very difficult for the private owners to rent their properties to foreign tourists and difficult for the tourists to find this type of accommodation. Colours of Spain has made it possible for everyone to get in touch, and has taken great steps to take away the communication problems, the worry and risk of renting from the “unknown” and made it easier for you to have a great new holiday experience of your own design.

 We’ve designed a step by step plan below for the first time user of the “independent holiday” idea. If you’ve done this before, you may also find some new tips to make your holiday run smoothly:

Step 1 Planning your independent holiday

Remember this is half the fun of the holiday! If it weren’t, you would have popped into the travel agent’s and bought your package one lunch break. First, decide on your dates. If you can be a bit flexible, it makes it easier both for the holiday accommodation owner and for you to get a cheaper flight to your destination.

Next, if you don’t already know, decide where in Spain you would like to go. If you don’t know Spain very well, take our questionnaire to find an area that might be suitable for you. Or browse through our travel guide and read about some areas that may take your fancy.

The next step is usually to find accommodation before you book your flight. This gives you the widest choice of accommodation and dates. However, some people have obviously found bargain flights and need to fit in their accommodation to those dates. Except for July, August, Easter and Christmas, this is usually possible in Spain.

Type in the area of Spain you would like to go to or choose a region using the links, or if you already have a flight, use the “Search by airport” box. You can either browse through the houses on offer, or if there are too many, refine your search by inserting your own particular needs in the box at the top of the page.

Step 2 Getting in touch with the holiday accommodation owner

Make a shortlist of at least three or four houses that meet your needs. (Particularly in high season don’t only request one as it may be unavailable. Not all of the owners are able to keep their calendars up to date for technical reasons.) Click on contact owner to send him/her an email. Check whether the owner speaks English.

In your first email you should check availability for your dates, stating date of entry and date of leaving. Ask for the total price for the stay and state the number of people in your party. The prices published on the site are usually correct, but may be slightly different for your stay, and may depend on the number of people in your party. The price may be slightly higher because it takes in a Spanish fiesta, or you may receive a discount for travelling mid week, off season etc. Ask any other questions that are important to you that are NOT covered in the ad.

If the owner does not state that he speaks English, click to use the bilingual dictionary. Select all your questions from the bilingual phrasebook. Remember to write your name and include your email address correctly spelt. Send the same email to all the houses on your short list. Colours of Spain will send you a copy. Keep the copies in case you do not get an answer. If you do not get an answer after 48 hours and you are really interested in the house, send a copy of the email we sent you and the house reference number to Colours of Spain and we will contact them for you.

Important things to consider when communicating with Spanish householders in English, or when using the bilingual dictionary:

DON'T GIVE UP ON A GREAT HOLIDAY BECAUSE OF WHAT IS PROBABLY A LITTLE HICCUP IN COMMUNICATION ASK COLOURS OF SPAIN FOR HELP

Step 3 Making a reservation and organising your travel

Once you have received confirmation from the house owner of the availability and price for the house you like, send another email saying you would like to make a reservation for the house, repeat the dates you require and the price you have been quoted for those dates and make sure you ask any final questions or any doubts you may have at this stage. Ask how the householder wishes the deposit to be paid to confirm the reservation. Wait 48 hours for a reply confirming the reservation. If you have not already made travel arrangements this is the point at which you should search for the best flights/ferries/car hire to fit in with your chosen accommodation.

If you have offers from two or three houses keep them open for two or three days until you have made all details final. It’s not fair to keep them waiting for longer than this to confirm in high season though. Finally confirm to your chosen house that you are coming, confirm the date of arrival and ask how the householder wishes the deposit to be paid to confirm the reservation. Your reservation will always be taken and you will be given plenty of time to send the deposit, unless of course you are booking at very short notice – more about that later.

Step 4 Payment

1. The deposit Spanish holiday apartments and cottages, Rural houses, Rural inns, Spanish B&Bs etc The two most common ways of paying a deposit to confirm your reservation are by bank transfer or credit card. In rural houses in Spain, bank transfer is still the most common because many are family run and they are not set up to take credit cards. The owners are not keen on taking foreign cheques because Spanish banks make a big charge and take a long time to clear them. The percentage of the total price required to confirm the reservation and when the balance should be paid can be seen for your house by clicking on the “Booking details” tab of each advert. The most common situation used all across Spain by the Spaniards is to send 25 or 30 percent as a deposit and pay the balance on arrival (which shows what a trusting nation the Spaniards are as if you don’t turn up at the last minute, you let the house owner down but don’t pay!)

Making a bank transfer to Spain is very easy if you have all the correct details from your chosen householder. Most householders know exactly what you need.

Making a payment by credit card; paying the deposit by credit card should only be done either over the phone or with a secure online site. Never send your credit card details in an ordinary email – it’s not safe. If there is no secure way to send your deposit by credit card, pay the deposit by bank transfer and the balance when you arrive by credit card. The Spaniards understand this and they will hold your reservation while the transfer arrives, and usually check with you or us before they give the house to someone else.

Post office giros is another option that most rural houses will accept as a method of payment but it can take a lot longer to arrive than a bank transfer – up to two weeks in some cases (compared to two to five days for a bank transfer), so it’s not as good when making a booking for holiday seasons or in a hurry.

Paypal is very new in Spain and only started in 2005. You may find some rural houses and small inns run by young people making a go of a new venture use it.

2. Confirmation of the deposit The householder should send you a confirmation that he/she has received your deposit by email and that your reservation is made for your dates and the balance outstanding is to be either paid on arrival or X number of days or weeks before arrival. Send him a confirmation that you have received his email and keep a copy. You should send another email four weeks before your holiday confirming that you will be arriving as agreed.

Step 5 Travelling to your holiday house

By now you will have made your reservation, booked your flights or ferry, and reserved your hire car if you need one. Don’t forget to call and check 48 hours before that your car is ready and available if you reserved it a long time in advance. (Some holiday house owners will pick you up at the airport either for a small fee or even for free so it’s worth asking if you don’t want to hire a car until you get there.) It’s a good idea to plan your route to your holiday house before you leave home – especially if you are arriving on a late flight.

The map showing where your holiday house is on Colours of Spain is only an indication of the location. You can do this online at www.multimap.com/map/home.cgi?client=public&lang=&advanced=&db=ES. You should buy a map of the area. It will be useful for all your holiday not just for getting to your holiday house. The fold out Michelin maps of the areas of Spain are economical and on sale at in the newsagents at all the airports.

Arriving at your holiday house or country hotel It’s always a good idea to send an email to tell your house holder or hotel what time you expect to arrive and what flight and time you are arriving on. If you are delayed at the airport and don’t speak Spanish, it is probably better to send them a text message by mobile rather than try to phone. In the case of hotels and bed and breakfasts there will always be someone there waiting for you as these are usually open 24 hours a day. In the case of rural houses and apartments, the owner or someone appointed by the owner will usually be waiting at the house or close by to give you the keys and show you round. Sometimes you will be given a phone number to call when you arrive in the village square “Plaza Mayor” if the house is hard to find, and they will take you there. Make sure you have the instructions clear before you set off and little will go wrong. Once again if there are really any instructions you don’t understand, you can send them to Colours of Spain for a translation.

The householder will show you round the house or apartment and many of the rural house owners will go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need and show you where the local facilities are. If there are any problems or if there is anything you need, you should ask the owner now. Take your time; most things are possible in Spain even if you don’t understand each other’s language. The owners want to make you comfortable. All that remains is to make sure you know where the owner lives in case you need him or her while you are on holiday and for you to now relax and enjoy your new adventure.